Epson has introduced millions of people to the potential of digital printing in their homes and offices. An Epson printer is often the first color inkjet printer that many people experience.

A completely new generation of Epson inkjet printers are appearing on the market this summer and autumn. We will be evaluating these printers from several points of view. First, we get user feedback. The information we receive by e-mail means our reviews include a wide spectrum of user opinions on each model. Second, we inspect the printers at leading trade shows. But this is more than just looking under the hood, we are privy to a considerable amount of background information from a wide variety of sources. In effect our reviews are multifaceted in scope. You can really tell that a FLAAR review and evaluation is not the same as a simple test drive like you find in a popular magazine.

If you seriously intend to print multiple copies, such as brochures, take note you may prefer an additional separate printer for such a task! We already tried to do brochures with several of these inkjet printers. Inkjet printers are far too slow and the paper cost too high (not even counting the ink cost!). Also, because inkjet printer drivers are a bit underpowered (and even the RIP gets indigestion on the data), lots of prints come out as digital garbage. So you have to turn everything off, dump the files from the printer, and start all over. This is not very productive. To do brochures you will be more productive if you select a color laser printer. You need a duplex attachment to print on both sides. Be sure to read our reports on www.laser-printer-reviews.org

If you already have an Epson desktop printer, one way to improve an Epson 1520, Epson 3000, or Epson 5000 is to add the BEST color management RIP. You need a RIP anyway to provide the brains to run any inkjet printer properly.

Epson does make great products; the Epson color laser (sold only in Europe) uses BEST color management RIP. The Epson 836XL flatbed scanner is great for its price. Does scans of 3D objects better than some scanners costing over $30,000! And the new Epson 9500 or 9050 (their new printer with pigmented inks) may be much improved. So stay tuned to the reviews of the FLAAR network for all the latest information resulting from the recent DRUPA trade show, then Seybold trade show, and then Photokina trade show in the fall. Bookmark and return.

What is a RIP?It is the brain of any printer. Epson printers are economical precisely because they tend to come with basic printer drivers. Later on, when you wish to add more performance and options, you can add a RIP. Some people get by with no RIP but others quickly find out that a RIP is necessary. For a description of a RIP (for large format printers) check out www.FineArtGicleePrinters.org, www.wide-format-printers.org and www.large-format-printers.org.

Inkjet printers are wonderful for all kinds of uses at home and in the office. Yet for other purposes,what you probably need is a 1200 dpi color laser printer such as Tally, If you need a place to buy a good desktop publishing color printer, we recommend Evan Swan, e-mail EvanSwan@aol.com. He knows the Tally laser printers and Epson wide format printers quite well. Epson color laser is a nice product but they are hard to find in the USA. The top model, with BEST color management RIP, is evidently sold primarily by Ikon.